Chapter 79 Xie Hanwei is the one Xiao Bumian is besieging
Mingjian's first reaction was: That damned bastard system! It's causing trouble again!
My second thought was to figure out which part of the process went wrong.
Just as the system was about to explain, a huge commotion suddenly broke out outside. There was a great deal of noise, spiritual energy surging, and a large crowd had arrived.
Even through the airtight bone chains, Mingjian could still clearly hear the commotion outside.
"It was that demon! On the day of our sect's Holy Maiden's wedding, it disregarded all human ethics and forcibly abducted the Holy Son-in-Law! And that demon is none other than your Sword Bright Immortal Mountain's so-called virtuous and upright Immortal Venerable Hanwei!"
An elder from the Hehuan Sect had a booming voice; his Nascent Soul stage cultivation was enough to make his voice clearly reach the ears of every disciple present.
Upon hearing this, a disciple dressed in the robes of the Sword Bright Immortal Mountain Sect looked indignant and immediately retorted loudly, "Stop talking nonsense! The Immortal Venerable is definitely not the kind of person you describe! Moreover, the Immortal Venerable has not been out of seclusion for a year and has never descended the mountain. What you are saying is simply absurd and a deliberate slander!"
The elder of the Hehuan Sect merely curled his lips into a cold smile, his expression gradually freezing over, his gaze sharp as a knife as he swept across the entire room, questioning, "Who among the guests who attended the Holy Maiden's wedding at our Hehuan Sect that day doesn't know, who doesn't know? Do you think we want to believe such a scandal?"
"If it weren't for the fact that our Holy Maiden finally awoke yesterday and personally told us what happened that day, why would we have gone to such lengths, traveling thousands of miles to demand an explanation?"
“Or perhaps,” the elder’s voice suddenly rose, carrying a chilling aura, as he pointed towards the Never-Sleeping Pavilion, his tone aggressive, “this scene before you, filled with demonic energy and resembling a demon's lair, you ignorant children, can you still lie through your teeth and ask me what this is?!”
If the disciples of Jianming Immortal Mountain had initially wanted to retort, after the elder of Hehuan Sect finished speaking, everyone's gaze inevitably fell on the Nevernight Pavilion, which was entangled in bone chains and faintly exuded ominous demonic energy, and they ultimately shut their mouths.
All of this points to one thing: the revered Immortal Venerable Hanwei, whom they worshipped as a god, had long since fallen into demonic ways.
The sect leader of the Hehuan Sect also slowly walked out. His face was slightly pale, and he coughed lightly a few times, covering his lips with his hand. Standing beside him was none other than the Holy Maiden Yun Hanyi, who had been rumored to have perished in the sea of fire with Mingjian a few days ago.
Yun Hanyi carried a guqin on her back, her face was cold and aloof, her eyes were calm and unreadable.
Among the crowd, Gu Zhi, Song Heyu, and others gritted their teeth and glared angrily at the Hehuan Sect members.
This all started a month ago.
On that day, Mingjian and Yun Hanyi got married. Gu Zhi drank a few extra cups of wine. When he sobered up, he found that he and Song Heyu were imprisoned in the Hehuan Sect's jail.
Gu Zhi's expression changed drastically, and he immediately demanded to see the sect leader of the Hehuan Sect.
However, after the sect leader arrived, his attitude was completely different from before, and a solemn and murderous atmosphere permeated the entire Hehuan Sect.
After several inquiries, they learned that Yun Hanyi and Ming Jian had disappeared together after their wedding the night before, and their residence had been burned to the ground by a mysterious fire. No trace of the two has been found to this day.
Unfortunately, Yun Hanyi's personal maid, the only one who might know the truth, was found unconscious and disoriented in another location, unable to provide any clues.
Until the truth of the matter is clarified, we can only make their situation worse by keeping them in jail for a few days.
Upon hearing this, Gu Zhi felt a surge of anger. Not to mention that the Hehuan Sect had imprisoned them without any explanation, and now that their whereabouts were unknown and their fate uncertain, they were more anxious and worried than anyone else.
There were restrictions set up in the prison by several elders of the Hehuan Sect, which Gu Zhi and Song Heyu could not break through for the time being. They could only wait anxiously for news in the prison.
A few days later, disciples of the Hehuan Sect finally came and informed them that the matter had been preliminarily investigated and had nothing to do with them, and then released the two men.
It turned out that the maid had regained consciousness, and the two were overjoyed, hoping to find out Mingjian's whereabouts from her.
Unexpectedly, what the maid said was even more shocking.
The maid said that Yun Hanyi was killed by a man, and after killing Yun Hanyi, that man manipulated the maid to do his makeup.
But the man seemed unsatisfied. He removed his makeup and took matters into his own hands, then erased the maid's memories.
Fortunately, the Hehuan Sect is skilled at using various pollens, spices, and even Gu insects to influence the minds of others. To prevent unforeseen circumstances, its disciples always carry some pills or talismans to keep their minds clear.
It was thanks to these things that the maid's memory was not completely erased, but she was also greatly shocked and fainted.
When she regained consciousness, the mansion was already engulfed in flames.
Illuminated by the towering flames, she saw the man holding Mingjian, who seemed to be asleep, in his arms. His figure flashed and disappeared into the night.
When Gu Zhi and Song Heyu heard this, they felt that the maid must be talking nonsense.
The sect leader of the Hehuan Sect bent down and gently pressed his fingertips against the maid's forehead, then asked, "Is everything you said true?"
The maid stiffened slightly, her eyes somewhat vacant, but she answered with unusual certainty, "It's true."
The sect leader of the Hehuan Sect continued to press, "Then do you know who that person is?"
The maid's body began to tremble uncontrollably, and extreme fear was written all over her face.
Just when everyone thought she couldn't continue, they heard her use all her strength to utter a few words intermittently: "I...I seem to have heard that before Her Highness died, she called that person Xie...Xie Hanwei. That young master even smiled and said that Your Highness cannot call him Xie Hanwei, his name is Xiao Bumian."
Upon hearing this, the entire hall fell into a deathly silence; you could hear a pin drop.
The wedding of the Holy Maiden of the Joyful Union Sect was a grand affair, with banquets hosted by major families and sects from the Northern Continent. At this moment, besides the people from Sword Bright Immortal Mountain, elders and disciples from other sects were also present in the hall. After a brief silence, a heated discussion erupted from the crowd:
"Has this maidservant lost her mind? What kind of status does that Immortal Venerable Hanwei of Sword Bright Immortal Mountain have? How could she possibly do something as crazy as murdering a Holy Maiden and kidnapping people for a male cultivator?!"
“That male cultivator is handsome, how is that impossible? Besides, the sect leader of the Hehuan Sect used a speech-based magic. If this disciple were talking nonsense, he would have been destroyed long ago. But look, he is still here, which means that what he said is true.”
Seeing this, the sect leader of the Hehuan Sect feigned extreme shock and grief, suddenly stood up, and said sternly, "How dare you slander and defame the reputation of Immortal Venerable Hanwei?!"
Seeing that no one believed her, the maidservant volunteered, "This disciple...this disciple is willing to undergo the soul-searching technique to prove my innocence."
Soul-searching techniques can directly peer into another person's memories. Although they are extremely harmful to the victim, they are indeed the most direct means of proving the truthfulness of their statements.
Inside the main hall, fragments of the maid's memories flashed by, proving that she was not lying.
Suddenly, someone exclaimed in a low voice, "It really is Immortal Venerable Hanwei! But... but why is he surrounded by such a strong demonic aura?"
"Could it be that he was injured hundreds of years ago, and although he said he was in seclusion, it was actually because his Dao heart was shattered?"
Perhaps because people enjoy watching the spectacle of the high and mighty moon being brought down from its pedestal, all sorts of sensational rumors quickly spread like wildfire.
Some say that Xiao Bumian died in the Demon Realm five hundred years ago, and the current Immortal Venerable Hanwei is a substitute found by the Demon Clan, who infiltrated the Immortal Sect under the guise of seclusion.
Otherwise, how can we explain that he was able to kill tens of thousands of demons all by himself back then, while so many of them together could not kill Xie Wuwang? Perhaps, this Hanwei Immortal Venerable is Xie Wuwang! Some also say that Xiao Bumian's Dao heart was shattered, and he went into a state of demonic possession.
The latter is not widely circulated, after all, the former is more eye-catching and more likely to satisfy their unspeakable base desires.
Yeah, why? Why is it that Xiao Bumian can single-handedly storm into the Demon Realm?
He was only five hundred years old at the time, how could he have such cultivation?
This extraordinary power, far exceeding common sense, is itself a kind of original sin, and at this moment it becomes a breeding ground for doubt and malice.
On the mirror, the discussion about this matter intensified.
"So this immortal venerable is actually a demon?"
"Otherwise, how do you think he was able to kill the Demon Lord Xie Wuwang single-handedly back then? Xie Wuwang was only one step away from ascension at that time, and his strength was unfathomable."
"Perhaps, the reason he defied public opinion and brought Xie Linzhao back to Jianming Immortal Mountain wasn't for any righteous cause or justice, but to protect Xie Linzhao."
"I heard from my master that before his passing, our ancestor Ji Sui left a warning, saying that this person's nature was unpredictable and extremely dangerous, and that if one was confident, one must kill him, otherwise the consequences would be endless. Now it seems that my master was indeed wise! This is truly a disgrace to our Sword Bright Immortal Mountain for all eternity!"
"..."
Gu Zhi has been in a daze this month.
Sometimes when he heard these people say this, he would disagree.
How could Xie Hanwei be Xiao Bumian? How could Xiao Bumian be a demon?
But when he thought of the inexplicable pressure emanating from Xie Hanwei that sometimes made him feel suffocated, the pitying look in Mingjian's eyes every time he threatened Xie Hanwei, and the last time when Immortal Venerable Hanwei came out of seclusion, he didn't choose anyone else, but specifically named Mingjian to go to Mount Nevernight...
When many things are connected, the answer becomes obvious.
Even though Gu Zhi was unwilling to believe it a thousand times over, the cruel reality forced him to accept it.
The seemingly ordinary Junior Brother Xie who traveled with him all the way was actually the same person as the Hanwei Immortal Venerable who stood tall in the clouds and was revered by thousands.
One night, Gu Zhi suddenly sat up in bed, moved closer to Song Heyu's bedside, and murmured, "Song Heyu... Song Heyu..."
Song Heyu was startled awake by his voice, which sounded like a summoning spell. Still heavy with sleep, she asked hoarsely, "...What's wrong with you in the middle of the night?"
Gu Zhi stared blankly and murmured, "Don't you think Ming Jian is amazing? So he really did... you know... with Immortal Venerable Hanwei?"
Song Heyu: "..."
"Get out," he said.
After saying that, he turned over without hesitation, facing away from Gu Zhi, and closed his eyes again.
Gu Zhi was left alone as she drifted back to her bed like a ghost, sitting in the corner and biting her nails all night, unable to sleep.
A few days later, news of Yun Hanyi's resurrection spread rapidly.
When Gu Zhi found out, he was so angry he laughed. If she wasn't dead, why did she cause him and Song Heyu to be imprisoned for so many days?
Yun Hanyi did not offer any further explanation, her attitude remaining distant and indifferent.
Even when he met Gu Zhi and Song Heyu, he only nodded slightly according to etiquette, showing no emotional fluctuation.
Two days later, the sect leader of the Hehuan Sect suddenly joined forces with the sect leaders of several other major sects to issue a joint statement, declaring that they would work together to open the restrictions on Evernight Mountain and ask Xiao Bumiandao what the reason was.
Immediately, many people rushed towards the Ever-Night Immortal Mountain.
Previously, they were troubled by the inexplicable restriction placed on the Everlasting Immortal Mountain, preventing them from entering and observing the demon's residence. Now that several sect leaders are in charge, why should they be afraid anymore?
Naturally, people rushed to witness history, and there were even those who wanted to take advantage of the situation and get a share of the spoils.
—
Inside the Hehuan Sect Hall.
Wisps of smoke rose from the incense burner, filling the room with a sweet yet eerie atmosphere.
The sect leader of the Hehuan Sect sat in the main seat, his voice carrying a hint of satisfied smile, "You did a very good job on this matter."
Behind the screen, Yun Hanyi was kneeling and playing the zither. Suddenly, with a "zheng" sound, one of the strings tightened abruptly, emitting a dull, unusual sound.
Yun Hanyi chuckled, "Immortal Venerable Ji Sui, if your spies hadn't found out beforehand that the demon had a special attitude towards that little disciple named Mingjian, my original plan was to use Xie Wuwang's son as bait to lure those fools from the demon race to create a big enough disturbance, and then throw this mudslinging on Xiao Bumian's head."
Her slender fingers casually plucked the strings a couple of times, and she continued, "However, if we use this method, once we delve deeper, there are too many flaws, and it will ultimately be untenable. I didn't expect that this suddenly appearing little disciple would have such a miraculous effect, making even someone like Xiao Bumian lose control of his demonic aura and deliberately reveal such a fatal flaw. It has saved us a lot of trouble."
Her tone shifted to one of greed, "The body you found for me has pure spiritual roots and excellent appearance; I am very satisfied. After you have accomplished your task, I hope you will not forget the conditions you promised me."
"Give me all the flesh and blood of that demon."
The sect leader of the Hehuan Sect, or rather Ji Sui, who was in the main seat, looked at the person behind the screen, a sinister glint in his eyes.
She's nothing but an ant. If she weren't still useful, why would he ally with such an old fogey from a small sect?
Very well, he will kill her after the great deed is done.
Ji Sui suppressed his dissatisfaction, letting out a low laugh, and promised, "Of course. I never go back on my word."
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